The present invention is directed toward a rear seat mirror for an automobile and more particularly toward such a mirror which can be used by a driver to observe a child sitting in a rearwardly facing infant seat.
Car seats have been utilized for many years for the protection of small children riding in an automobile. In many states, such car seats have become mandatory. These children's seats are normally maintained in place in the vehicle by the use of the vehicle's seat belt and/or shoulder harness.
It is well known that the rear seat of a vehicle is substantially safer for a child sitting in a child or infant seat than is the front seat of the car. Furthermore, the safest arrangement for an infant is for the infant to be seated in an inclined position in the infant seat facing rearwardly in the car and infant seats have been designed to be mounted in the car in this manner.
Utilizing a rearwardly facing infant seat in the rear seat of an automobile has, however, caused some problems. Most significantly is the fact that the driver cannot see the infant seated in the infant seat. When the driver looks over his or her shoulder, all that can be seen is the back of the infant seat and since the better infant seats also include at least partial sides thereon, no part of the infant can be observed. Thus, if an infant begins to cry, the driver cannot observe the infant to see if there is a problem without bending over the back of the front seat which can obviously cause a dangerous situation while the car is being driven. Similarly, if the infant is totally quiet, the driver cannot observe whether the infant is sleeping or is merely being quiet without stopping the car.
It has previously been known to utilize mirrors in the rear of a vehicle such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,584,938 and 1,877,997. However, the purpose for the mirrors shown in these patents is to allow the driver to observe the exterior rear of the car for aiding him in parking the same.
Prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,266 shows a mirror attachment for a collapsible stroller which allows the infant in the stroller to observe the person pushing the same and vice versa. Furthermore, prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,463,440 and 3,905,642 show the use of mirrors in combination with a seat back. However, none of these patents suggests the use of a mirror in combination with an infant seat located in the rear seat of a vehicle so that the driver can observe the infant.